GENERAL INFO

Hopefully we've covered most of your cake questions here but if not, please just get in touch using the Contact form to get in touch with the Marie Antoinette Cakes team.

General Information & Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a wedding cake cost?

As we believe every wedding cake should be tailored to you and your special day, you’ll be provided with a tailored quote to reflect your bespoke cake. As well as our Couture cakes, starting at £475 for three tiers, we also create Naked and Semi-Naked cakes starting at £350.*

You can change size, shape, colours and choose different cake flavours, all of which will result in a more personalised quote. We always work with you to try and get you the cake you want within your budget and will offer advice on how this can be best achieved but please remember that our cakes are made fresh to order with the best ingredients and great care is taken to ensure it looks and tastes amazing.

*prices quoted are for three tiers of vanilla sponge, other sizes and cake flavours can alter the price.

What shapes and sizes can I have?

Wedding cakes can be in any shape or size that you want. Be creative and don't be afraid to think outside the box, search on the internet for inspiration, we love Pinterest and Instagram where we find loads of great ideas for inspiration!

Square cakes provide you with more portions per tier so if you’re having a lot of guests, a square cake or even a bottom square tier may help to get you the portions you need. Current cake trends include petal shaped and hexagonal shaped tiers along with polystyrene separator tiers to add extra height.

What if we don’t like the taste of Sugarpaste icing?

The big elaborate cakes you usually see in magazines are typically made using a layer of buttercream covered in sugarpaste. Consider your wedding day weather -if it’s an outdoor summer reception and your cake has to withstand heat and direct sunlight, avoid finishing your cake with just buttercream. Sugarpaste is much more resistant and provides a whole host of options for decoration. Here at Marie Antoinette Cakes, we’ve experimented with several sugarpaste brands and have found that Massa Ticino Sugarpaste not only tastes good but provides the most polished finish on your wedding cake

However, if you really do dislike sugarpaste, a Naked, Semi Naked or Buttercream covered cake may be the kind of thing for you. These cakes are beautiful and the simplicity really is key to their beauty. Three tiers of Victoria Sponge cake sandwiched with Raspberry Jam and Vanilla buttercream, this cake will provide you with approx. 70 portions, comes decorated with fresh flowers and fresh fruit with satin ribbon round the base of each tier and costs only £350. Although we think this cake is perfect in vanilla, it is also available in chocolate sponge as well as other flavours such as lemon, if you have a cake flavour in mind, just ask!

Alternatively, if you love chocolate, why not make this the basis for your cake. Chocolate ganache covered cakes can be a bit more expensive but really add a luxurious wow-factor to your day.

When do we need to order our cake?

As a guide, for spring & summer weddings where dates get booked up quickly, make sure you have booked your cake at least 12 months in advance. For winter weddings, 6 months in advance is usually adequate. Of course, we will always try to accommodate shorter notice cakes so please get in touch to discuss your requirements.As soon as you’ve booked your wedding venue, know roughly how many guests you’ll be having and have some idea as to the kind of look you’re going for, you’re ready to book a consultation during which we’ll talk through all the options so you can receive a set of tailored quotes.

For occasion cakes, the earlier the better particularly if you want something a bit out of the ordinary! We get booked up with weddings quite far in advance and unfortunately, when we're full, we're full so if you know you have an important event or milestone coming up then drop us a line and get your date booked in with us in order to avoid disappointment!

We don't take orders for weddings taking place inbetween Christmas and New Year.

What flavours can we have?

The number of people who are surprised when I tell them their cake can be any flavour they desire, still surprises me!

It wasn’t long ago when guests were reluctantly eating dry, crumbly, flavourless fruitcake at weddings and unfortunately it has developed quite a bad reputation! Our fruitcake is a Rich Brandy Fruitcake and it’s delicious and very moreish! Because we use brandy and lots of rich fruit, it is the most expensive cake we make so we do believe more people would actually like fruitcake if they all tasted like ours!

That said, we can pretty much do any cake flavour and encourage you to choose a combination of flavours for your guests to enjoy! Our most popular wedding cake flavours are as follows;

Most venues now advise that you begin your evening reception by cutting the cake, this way all of your guests get to join you for this traditional element of the day and take photos! Your caterer then cuts the cake to be served in the evening. With all that drinking and dancing, guests often get hungry again in the evening and a quick sugar hit can keep that dance floor full right to the end of the night!

What if we're only having a small, intimate wedding?

We make cakes to any size and shape so if you only need 25 portions then of course we can create something to suit, and of course it will still look and taste amazing! While you will need to consider the number of guests when deciding on your cake design, you also need to think about the height of the finished product. If your cake will be displayed in a grand setting with high ceilings, a small cake will be lost very quickly in the space.

Simple options such as separator tiers or polystyrene dummy tiers covered in sugarpaste and decorated as per the rest of your cake can add height and grandeur to your cake for very little extra cost.

What does the Wedding Cake Consultation involve?

Your no obligation wedding cake consultation takes up to an hour and involves me arriving with plenty of cake samples for you to try whilst we chat through what thoughts and ideas you have for your wedding cake. Some couples know exactly what they want and others don’t really know where to begin – either of these is fine so please don’t worry! The consultation process is designed to assist will all aspects of your wedding cake and will result in you receiving tailored quotes for you to consider.

As we offer a bespoke product, our service is also bespoke so we work with you to finesse your quote until you’re entirely happy with it. We’ll offer you advice including pointers as to how to get the most from your budget.

We also liaise with your wedding suppliers as required such as your venue or florist to make sure that everything runs smoothly and you don’t have to get involved in any logistical last minute details.

We charge £30 per consultation which is fully redeemable against the price of your wedding cake (consultations are for 1 hour and for 2 people)

How do we pay and do you require a deposit?

You can pay by bank transfer. A 30% deposit is required to secure your booking with the balance being paid at least two weeks prior to your wedding.

Do you provide delivery and set up?

Yes, we offer a delivery and set up service which will be included in your quote if required. The price of delivery and set up will vary depending upon the location of your venue. Alternatively you can collect your cake from us and set it up yourselves.

Do you offer cake stand hire?

Yes, we've accumulated a lovely selection of cake stands in different shapes, sizes, colours and styles as well as some different ways of displaying your cake and will advise you on the most suitable styles to enhance your wedding cake during your consultation.

We require a non-refundable hire charge to be paid along with your wedding cake as well as a fully refundable deposit which will be returned to you upon safe return of the cake stand to us. Our hire charges very depending upon the value of the stand but this can be itemised on your quote.

*see Terms and Conditions for full details.

Will you decorate a home-baked cake?

Whilst this is something we do get asked from time to time, unfortunately we can’t decorate a cake that has been baked by you, a friend or family member. Stacking and decorating a wedding cake is a complex process that requires the cake to be properly baked, of a good structure and level with tiers being at least 4- 5” deep. Our recipes are tried and tested to ensure consistency in all of these elements so that we can guarantee the cake on the outside and the inside!

Do you supply gluten free / dairy free / nut free cakes

If you or members of your wedding party have a gluten or nut intolerance then please let us know so we can bring some samples to your consultation for you to try. It is worth noting that for people with serious allergies, we do use nuts and gluten in our kitchen so our products may contain traces of these.